birth

[ burth ]

/ bɜrθ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR birth ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of being born: the day of his birth.

the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring; childbirth; parturition: a difficult birth.

lineage; extraction; descent: of Grecian birth.

high or noble lineage: to be foolishly vain about one's birth.

natural heritage: a musician by birth.

any coming into existence; origin; beginning: the birth of Protestantism; the birth of an idea.

Archaic. something that is born.

verb (used with object) Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S.

to give birth to.

to assist in giving birth; act as midwife for.

Idioms for birth

give birth to,

to bear (a child).
to initiate; originate: Her hobby gave birth to a successful business.

Origin of birth

1150–1200; Middle English byrthe < Scandinavian; compare Old Swedish byrth; cognate with Old English gebyrd, Old High German giburt, Gothic gabaurths

SYNONYMS FOR birth

3 parentage, ancestry, line, blood, family.

6 start, commencement, inception, genesis; launching, inauguration.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR birth ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM birth

mul·ti·birth, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH birth

berth birth

Words nearby birth

birota, birr, birretta, birrus, birse, birth, birth canal, birth certificate, birth control, birth control pill, birth date

British Dictionary definitions for give birth to

birth

/ (bɜːθ) /

noun

the process of bearing young; parturition; childbirth Related adjective: natal

the act or fact of being born; nativity

the coming into existence of something; origin

ancestry; lineage of high birth

noble ancestry a man of birth

natural or inherited talent an artist by birth

archaic the offspring or young born at a particular time or of a particular mother

give birth

to bear (offspring)
to produce, originate, or create (an idea, plan, etc)

verb (tr) rare

to bear or bring forth (a child)

Word Origin for birth

C12: from Old Norse byrth; related to Gothic gabaurths, Old Swedish byrdh, Old High German berd child; see bear 1, bairn

Medical definitions for give birth to

birth

[ bûrth ]

n.

The emergence and separation of offspring from the body of the mother.

The act or process of bearing young; parturition.

The circumstances or conditions relating to this event, as its time or location.

The set of characteristics or circumstances received from one's ancestors; inheritance.

Origin; extraction.

Scientific definitions for give birth to

birth

[ bûrth ]

Noun

The emergence and separation of offspring from the body of its mother, seen in all mammals except monotremes.

Adjective

Present at birth, as a defect in a bodily structure.

Idioms and Phrases with give birth to (1 of 2)

give birth to

Bear a child, as in She gave birth to her first child exactly at midnight. [Early 1800s]

Also, give rise to. Be the cause or origin of. For example, His hobby gave birth to a very successful business, or The economic situation gave rise to widespread dissatisfaction. The first term dates from the early 1700s, the second from the late 1700s.

Idioms and Phrases with give birth to (2 of 2)

birth

see give birth to.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

birth

noun